Agnetha Fältskog i första intervjun efter sin comeback med Abba

Nu bryter Agnetha Fältskog tystnaden och delar med sig av sina
tankar kring comebacken i en exklusiv intervju i Svensktoppen.
Abba som denna vecka också går upp till förstaplatsen med Don´t
shut me down. Lyssna på hela intervjun med Agnetha Fältskog i
specialpodden här. (English translation available in the text)


Lyssna på alla avsnitt i Sveriges Radio Play.
Agnetha Fältskog om nya låtarna med Abba

Agnetha Fältskog berättar för programledaren Carolina Norén om
varför Svensktoppen har en speciell plats i gruppens hjärtan,
lyckan efter fansens hyllningar och varför hon än idag är
restriktiv med intervjuer. Hon avslöjar dessutom lite mer om vad
vi kan förvänta oss av resten av låtarna på nya albumet.
Agnetha om mötet med Frida

– Tycker man om de här två första låtarna kommer man tycka om
hela albumet. Det är väldigt mycket Abba-sound, vi försöker inte
låta annorlunda eller påverkas av sånt som är aktuellt nu. Det
blir väldigt mycket Abba när jag och Frida möts i studion. Det är
som att våra röster gifter sig med varandra så det är nästan
svårt att skilja på oss, säger Agnetha Fältskog.


Hör också senaste nytt om det kommande albumet, hur
inspelningarna gick till och Agnetha Fältskogs tveksamhet till om
det här med en konsert med Abbatarer verkligen är en så bra idé…


Delar av intervjun sänds också i Svensktoppen söndag 19:e
september 11.03-12.00 i Sveriges Radios P4 samt går att höra i
sin helhet i vår app Sveriges Radio Play.
Agnetha Fältskog interview - English translation  

In September, Agnetha Fältskog of ABBA agreed to grant Swedish
radio presenter Carolina Norén an interview for the classic
Swedish chart show ”Svensktoppen” on Swedish Public Service
radio. The interview was broadcast September 19.


Carolina Norén: ”Don't Shut Me Down” by ABBA – and with
me on the phone I have Agnetha Fältskog. Hello,
Agnetha!Agnetha Fältskog: Hello, Carolina!


C: And, of course, congratulations to entering the top of
the chart, Agnetha!A: Wow, what a surprise! That
was amazing, really fun.


C: Let's just say that I wasn't that surprised, and
neither was the rest of the world. However, ABBA.s last number
one here on Svensktoppen was actually ”Waterloo”, back in
1974!A: Was it that long ago? Well, there you go.
It was about time, then.


C: It was about time! Exactly.A: I'd like
to take the opportunity to tell you how happy, grateful and moved
everyone in the group is by the enormous reception. It feels very
nice and warm inside.


C: I'm thinking, the first time you received a call like
this from ”Svensktoppen”, and I don't know if you remember this,
Ulf Elfving was calling. It was in 1968, you were 17 years old
and ”Jag var så kär” (I Was So in Love), had reached number
three.A: Yeah, it's been quite a few years, ha ha.
Agnetha Fältskog: Svensktoppen obviously means a lot

C: What has Svensktoppen meant to you over the
years?


A: It means a great deal. We're so used to charts, and have
enormous success in several countries, but ”Svensktoppen” – it's
our native country and the audience we have back here, and it
obviously means a lot. We're very moved by the reception
everywhere. I remember that first interview with Ulf, I was very
nervous, and almost couldn't believe that I'd entered
Svensktoppen, it's something you don't forget. This was also an
enormous surprise, because you can never really know how it will
turn out. One is never sure that something is going to be
successful, and one is glad when it happens.


C: I was actually thinking about that a bit: I know that
you love spending time in the studio working, and so on, but was
there any point while working on this new material where you
started to feel doubt or fear: what if it doesn't
work?A: Yes, we said that in the beginning: a long
time had passed since we recorded, and you can never be sure that
the voice is going to hold up – was it going to sound old?
However, we heard pretty immediately – from both Frida's voice
and mine – that it sounded more or less as it did back then.
However, you may have to make another kind of effort, and give
more, or how to put it, of your ability to tell a story, to
empathise with the song. I always used to do that, but it's a lot
more now that one has lived an entire life. You put more emotion
into it.


C: I was thinking, whose idea was it to do this – who was
the driving force behind the comeback?. I mean out of you? From
the fans' point of view, it's always been a
given.A: Yes ... Well, one thing lead to another,
somehow. We felt that we wanted to do a few new songs for the
avatar project that will open in May next year, in London. So we
said ”let's do a few songs and see how they turn out, how it
sounds. One thing led to another with a few more songs, and then
Benny kind of said ”why not make an entire album?”. Yes, and
that's how it happened, and since we enjoy working in the studio,
it's fantastically fun to be able to create and such.


C: Yes, and you have said that it's sometimes easy to
”tempt” you into doing things if they sound like
fun.A: Yes, that's true.
Agnetha Fältskog about the avatar project: I had to
give it a think

C: So you weren't hard to convince, when it came to doing
this?A: No, I don't think any of us were. Not
doing this. The avatar project, I had to give it a think, since
it meant a lot of work, as it were, on stage. Because I'm not a
stage personality in that respect, but I can convey more feelings
in the songs.


C: Indeed. The rumours around this comeback started back
in 2018. We got to know the song titles, and it feels like these
two songs that we have heard, have been underway for a while.
Have you polished the songs over the years? What has happened
since we first heard of them in 2018?A: Well, we
have been at it. At first we worked on the avatars throughout
February...let's see, was it the year before last? No, it was
last year. We had just finished working with that, when the
Corona situation appeared. Then, after a while, we started
recording these songs and it's continued like that.


C: When the songs were released a little over two weeks
ago, fans gathered around the world simultaneously. Björn and
Benny participated in the live stream and you and Frida were part
of the edited program. Björn and Benny said that you were
following the broadcast from a distance. How did it feel watching
it?A: It was actually enormous. I've been watching
our fans a little, when they're listening to the songs, and
they're actually crying. It's quite enormous what a reach it had
all around across countries. It's almost hard to take it in,
actually.


C: I was present at Gröna Lund (in Stockholm), where fans
had been invited, and there were many fans from other countries.
I can really attest that emotions were enormously strong. It was,
you know, almost sacred. Just like you said, they cried and were
deeply moved. One thing many of them said, at least the ones I
talked to, was that they missed you – ”the girls”, they said:
Agnetha and Annifrid.A: Yes.


C: Do you know when you will get together next
time?A: I don't really dare to say. We're a bit
older now, and have our minor ailments, ha ha. But we struggle
on. But I don't dare to say, because it's a bit uncertain. At the
moment we feel happy that we got this together, and let's hope
everything goes well in London, at the premiere over there.


C: Right, in May next year. The avatars. Incredibly cool,
actually.A: Right.
Agnetha Fältskog: I like to sit down when I sing. Frida usually
stands up

C: You touched upon the thing about the voice, whether it
would hold up. When you released your solo album in 2013, you
mentioned in an interview that you'd had the same worry, and had
taken singing lessons – which turned out to be one lesson. How
was it this time, Agnetha? Did it end up being any singing
lessons?A: Haha. No, it didn't. One knows this,
that it has to do with support from the stomach, that you
shouldn't ruin...so it doesn't become too much for the throat.
Instead, you find support in the belly, and it just fits so well,
once you're in the studio. You just, ”wow, it holds up!”. One has
different … I like to sit down when I sing. Frida usually stands
up. It varies a lot, how you feel that you get the power.


C: You are the one doing the main vocals – at least most
of them – on the single ”Don't Shut Me Down”. I should add that
”I Still Have Faith in You” is also in the chart, at number
four.A: Yes, how fun!


C: How does it work when you divide it between the two of
you? Do you choose your favourites, or is it directed by the
respecive voice registers? Do tell.A: Yes. It's
probably the guys who are in charge of that. We get some lyrics,
get to listen a bit, and try a little. It's also happened that
one has felt ”this one I'd like to do”. There are no fights about
anything. We try it out, but it's usually the guys, I think, who
already know who is supposed to sing what. We're also part of
each others'... Even if one of us sings the solo verses, we're
always join together for the choruses, for the most part.


C: You have also a background as a songwriter, and ran
your solo career in the beginning. These days, Björn and Benny
usually end up talking about the project. How much are you able
to go in a change things, or feel ”that doesn't work, let's try
this”.
A: Back in the day it happen pretty regularly, but these days it
doesn't. I can come up with a lot of ideas: ”could we add some
finesse at this point in the song?” I'm also pretty good at
harmonies, but the guys handle most of it. We do as they say, and
it turns out well.


C: Another thing when one talks about ABBA and ABBA's
music, your songs have been quite associated with you as people
over the years. The most obvious example may be ”The Winner Takes
it All”, which is about divorce. How about today – what do the
songs say about you as people, and artists today?
A: It's probably mostly in the lyrics, and you should probably
let Björn answer. One can read one thing or another into
composers', songwriters' or lyricists' work, and of course you
add a bit of ”it's about him, or me”. But it's general, how to
say, relationships. Because it's often about love.
Agnetha Fältskog about the new album: If you like these
two songs, you will probably like the entire album

C: The two most recent songs, maybe a little more
general. Now that we are talking about love, I've go to ask you:
you have said that you're are a romantic person,
Agnetha.
A: Yes, I am.


C: And you like romantic music. Will there be more
romance on the album? More love?
A: Haha! Well, it's very varied. I can't say much about it now,
but it's very varied. I can tell you this much: if you like these
two songs, you will probably like the entire album. I do think
so.


C: Right. That's good. I feel I need to scratch the
surface a little more. What we have heard is a timeless ABBA
sound. Can one imagine that it will continue with that sound as
well?
A: What do you mean, on the CD?


C: Yes, on the album.
A: Ah, yes. It's very much the ABBA sound. We're not trying to
sound different or letting ourselves be affected by other,
current things, so to speak. We're trying to keep ... It becomes
what it becomes – and it becomes very ABBA when Frida and I get
together in the studio. It's almost like a marriage between our
voices, and almost hard to tell them apart at times.
Agnetha Fältskog: None of us probably really knew what to
expect

C: Now, I know that a lot of people are looking forward
to the concert in London in May next year. First, there's the
album, in November. The one we were talking about. We mentioned
the avatars. What went through your head the first time you heard
of the idea?
A: Haha. Well, yes, none of us probably really knew what to
expect, but we've worked with it a lot, so you grew into it,
eventually. We stand there, doing these songs, with– I don't know
how many cameras and people. And then, somehow, it was
technologically transferred, in some way that we don't even
understand, to other people that are going to be on stage as us –
but it's still us, haha! I can't really explain it, it's so hard,
but there's a lot of technology and lights involved. But it felt
great to do in the end. Because it was so different. Also, there
was a vibe, one felt that ”maybe it's the last thing we do”. Same
thing with this album.


C: Ooh, you can't say that, ha ha! We want
more!
A: You can cut that out.


C: Jonas and I will cut that out! Solo album in 2013. I
can reveal to you, here and now, that in the summer of 213,
”Dance Your Pain Away” was the only thing I listened
to.
A: I see! That's nice.


C: I know it inside out, but I won't sing
it!
A: Yeah, that was cool, actually.


C: Is there anything in the pipeline solo – another solo
album from you, Agnetha?
A: Not at the moment, no. I think, and I feel, that I've done a
lot now. So I can't promise you that. We have got to find joy in
what we have, and all that awaits.


C: Indeed. May I also add that I was very happy when I
heard that you would be with us and share. Because I've learned
that you are somewhat restrictive when it comes to doing
interviews. What do you think, are there further public
appearance from you ahead?
A: Not really. But, as you say, I've never really retired that
way, but I am restrictive, and I feel that a lot of things are
being written, and have been written, about us. We agreed to do,
and have done, so many interviews. There's a risk that you ruin
it by talking too much. You want keep a little something to
yourself. Something private.


C: Agnetha, we respect that, and we are very happy here
at Svensktoppen, and, I would imagine, that the listeners who
haven't perhaps fainted from the surprise, and have stayed with
us, are happy that you could join us. Once again, huge, huge
congratulations to topping the chart.
A: Thank you. I also want to send greetings from the rest of the
group. I know that they are all very happy about this. It means a
lot to us.


C: Wonderful. I hope we can talk again. I almost get
shivers suddenly doing the presentation here. So I say: new
number one: ABBA and ”Don't Shut Me Down”. Thank you very much,
Agnetha.
A: Thanks so much to you, too!


English translation by Anders Lundquist


Carolina Norén - programledare och producent för
Svensktoppen
carolina.noren@sverigesradio.se